Books: The Enemy Within

I highly recommend The Enemy Within by Kris Lundgaard, a re-write of two works by the masterful puritan writer John Owen. It tackles the weighty topic of the flesh ("indwelling sin") in today's language and uses relevant illustrations.

The premise is that the believer must understand the (1) the power of the flesh unto death and (2) the power of Christ unto salvation. He says that "the job is to kill the flesh." Anything less is "passive consent" (see Romans 8:13 for the outcome). Lundgaard finishes with encouragement that "[We] will win" and that we have the Spirit filling us and empowering us every step of the way. I found this particularly helpful given how easy it is to be lulled into passive consent by the relativisit culture we inhabit.

On a practical note, this book is especially good for small groups since the chapters are concise and include several probing questions at the end. Additionally, it has been endorsed by Packer, Bridges, Pratt, Lawson and Chapell.

Thanks to Lance Wallace for handing me a copy earlier this year.